The Bucks won their first game of the season! Led by Tyler Herro’s near triple-double of 23 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, and Kel’el Ware’s 16 points and 14 boards, the Bucks rode a third-quarter rally to overcome a weary Pacers squad on the second night of a back-to-back. The win ends the Bucks’ three-game losing streak and gives them revenge on the Pacers after a chippy preseason loss. Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana with 22 points and nine assists, while Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin added
20 and 14, respectively.
Game Recap
The Pacers opened the scoring when Pascal Siakam grabbed an offensive rebound and found Aaron Nesmith in the paint for a layup, but the game saw a back-and-forth start. After Haliburton’s floater tied it at six, the Bucks responded with their own 6-0 run, punctuated by Kyle Kuzma’s and-one dunk over Jay Huff. Contradicting my Prescient prediction, the Pacers started cold from beyond the arc (1/8), but gradually warmed up after the first timeout. Jarace Walker’s triple from the top of the arc cut Milwaukee’s lead to just one point. However, Kasparas Jakucionis found Kel’el Ware on two separate dimes to put the Bucks back up five with 90 seconds left. But of course, the Bucks failed to close the quarter strongly, turning it over in the final moments as Haliburton went end-to-end for a transition layup. Milwaukee up 31-29 after one.
Quenton Jackson tied the game with a pull-up midrange jumper less than 30 seconds into the second quarter, kickstarting a 9-0 run for Indy in the first 90 seconds. The Pacers threatened to stretch their lead to double digits after a pair of threes from Jay Huff and Haliburton, but the Bucks surged back. Ryan Rollins hit a three, Kel’el Ware finished a lob over Huff, and Rollins hit another bomb to give the home side a one-point lead about four minutes in. But, as they are wont to do, the Pacers responded with an 8-0 run as the Bucks went cold; Haliburton splashed a stepback three to push Indiana’s lead to nine, then got in Rollins’ face afterwards, continuing theirpreseason feud. Siakam closed out the half with a nice fadeaway, putting the Pacers up 61-50.
The Bucks started the third quarter well, trimming Indiana’s lead to six points via a pair of Herro threes in semi-transition. The Bucks found success passing around Indiana’s defense and finding open guys on the outside. Another Herro three trimmed Indiana’s lead to two with 6:33 remaining, and a Rollins layup tied it. Indiana slowly worked its way back out to a five-point lead, though, after Haliburton found Toppin in the restricted area for his ninth assist of the game. A nice moment followed with Nate Ament connecting on a wing triple for his first NBA field goal, but Haliburton responded almost immediately with a three from the top of the arc. Indiana ended the quarter up just one, 85-84.
The Bucks began the fourth with a defensive focus; most of all, they did a great job limiting Siakam’s effectiveness in the paint. Milwaukee’s defence was leading to offence, getting them easy transition shots. The Pacers, meanwhile, took quick threes without letting their offence develop. Before long, a smooth Rollins layup put Milwaukee up 101-92 with 5:27 minutes left. But the Bucks would not make it easy on themselves, giving up a 6-0 run in what felt like 30 seconds to cut Milwaukee’s lead to just three. The home team needed a veteran to step up, and after a tough start to the season, Myles Turner rose to the occasion with a steal and two blocks within 45 seconds, allowing Milwaukee to get the game back on their terms—he was huge. Milwaukee also got key second-chance points, including a Turner offensive rebound that eventually led to an open Kuzma three that pushed the Bucks’ lead to eight with less than two minutes left. Indiana couldn’t overcome the deficit, and Milwaukee registered its first regular season win of the Taylor Jenkins era. Yew!
Stat That Stood Out
13 of Milwaukee’s 24 second-chance points came in the fourth quarter, largely thanks to Myles Turner’s hustle on the offensive glass. Those plays gave Milwaukee’s struggling offense another chance at a bucket. Whether Milwaukee’s bigs could handle Siakam and Huff on the glass was a real question entering Monday’s win—Turner answered it decisively.
Obscene Overreaction
Nate Ament might need to be a regular in the rotation. After struggling in Saturday’s loss to Philadelphia, Ament showed real growth tonight, offensively and defensively. He looked willing to initiate contact despite his slender build, especially against Siakam on the block, and his defensive awareness improved, as he got only one foul. Ament posted seven points, going 1/2 from long range and 3/8 from the field. Ament’s shooting struggles are real—three of his missed field goal attempts were long twos—but the rookie showed some great signs today.
